Fence-building machine



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. B.. KLINE. FENCE BUILDING MACHINE.

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4 WITNESSES:

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(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3. J. B. KLINB. FENCE BUILDING MAGHINE.

INVEI ITOR:

Patented Sept. 3, 1889.

WITNESSES; dam/W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. KLINE, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.

FENCE-BUILDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,363, dated September 3, 1889.

Application filed June 20, 1889. Serial No. 314,910. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN B. KLINE, of Sherman, in the county of Grayson and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Fence-Building Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to that class of ma chines which are commonly called fencelooms, the object of the invention being to provide for the weaving or construct-ion of a picket fence by means of a simple and inexpensive machine,but one which will insure a proper binding of the pickets between the several strands of supporting-wire.

The construction and combination of parts are as hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved fence-building machine. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view thereof, the view being taken on line a; a; of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on line y 'y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail view which illustrates the mounting of one of the yielding jaws; and Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the connection between the loosely-mounted gear and the crank-shaft.

In the drawings, 10 represents the main frame of the machine, which said frame is provided with a transverse bar 11, upon which there is mounted a series of bearings 12, that serve as supports for the hollow spindles or shafts 13 of the twisters 14. The shafts 13 are made integral with or rigidly connected to gears 16, the gears 16 of adjacent twisters intermeshing, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. One of the end gears 16 is formed with or rigidly connected to a bevel-gear 18, and said bevelgear 18 is engaged by a corresponding gear 19, that is carried by a short crank-shaft 20, which said crank-shaft carries a small gear or pinion 21, which engages a large gear 22, carried by a transverse horizontal shaft 23, upon which there are mounted small gears or pinions 24 and 24.

To the tubular shafts 13, I rigidly connect frames 25, that serve as supports for spools 26 and 26, the rear ends of the frames being mounted in bearings 27, carried by a crossbar 28.

Beneath and slightly in advance of the of mutilated racks 33, the upper ends of these racks being connected to the arms 30. These racks 33 are arranged so that at times they will be engaged by the gears or pinious 24 and 24 of the shaft 23. The upper ends of the arms 30 are connected by a cross-bar 34,

formed or provided with projections 35, that exiend up between the twisters 14.

To the cross-bar 11, directly beneath each of the twisters 14, I secure arms 36, which are curved upward and then extend forward in practically horizontal lines, as shown at a. Just at the angle between the curved section of the arms 36 and their extensions a, I mount rollers 37. In connection with each of the arms 36, I arrange arms 40, which are pivotally connected to the bearings 12, above the twister-shafts 13, the connection being established by means of pivot pins or bolts 1). In advance of the pivot pins or bolts I arrange set-screws 41, which bear upon the upper faces of the bearings, while to the rear of the pivot pins or bolts I arrange set-screws 42, which bear upon elastic blocks 43, such blocks being preferably of rubber. At the ends of the arms 40 are mounted rollers 44.

The arms 36 and 40 constitute what I term jaws, between which the twisters 14 revolve. The twisters 14 consist of tubes sand d, between which tubes there is a space 6, of sutficient depth and width to receive a picket. In order that the arms 30 may be thrown forward for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth, I provide a transverse rock-shaft 50, upon which there are mounted arms 51, that carry rollers 52, said rollers being in line with the arms 30, and to the shaft 50, I connect a lever arm or handle 53, the arrangement being such that if the lever arm or handle be moved in the direction of the arrow shown in connection therewith in Fig. 2 the arms IOC will be carried for ward and the arms moved as indicated by the arrows shown in that figure.

In advance of the twisters I mount a guiding-roller 55, and beyond the guiding-rollera reel 60, said reel being provided with a number of hinged leaves or plates 61 and with a ratchet 62, that is engaged by pawls 63 and 64:, said pawls 63 and 64 being pivotally connected to the ends of a lever 65, that is provided with an operating-handle 66, the arrangement being such that by rocking the lever in either direction the ratchet will be advanced, and as the ratchet is so advanced the reel will be carried forward.

In operation wire is wound upon the spools 26 and 20 and led therefrom through the tubular shafts 13, one wire being carried outward through the twister-section c and the other wire through the twister section d. From the twistensections the wires are carried forward over the roller 55 to the reel 60, there to be secured, the leaves 61 atthis time being folded outward. After the wires have been carried forward and connected to the reel, as above described, the shaft 20 is turned and a slight twist imparted to the wire. Then the spaces 6 of the twisters are brought into register and a picket is passed through said spaces. The lever 53 is then thrown so as to carry the arms 30 and the projections 35, controlled thereby, forward, and the crank-shaft 20 is again turned, and as the shaft is so turned the twisters will be rotated and the racks 33, and with the racks the parts controlled thereby carried forward, the handle 66 of the lever at this time being thrown to advance the ratchet and with it the reel. The gear 19 is loosely mounted on its shaft 20, and said shaft carries a ratchet that is engaged by a pawl carried by the gear, the ratchet being shown at f and the pawl at g in Fig. 5, so that after the movements above set forth have taken place the motion of the crank-shaft may be reversed and the racks 33 carried to the rear until they are free of the gears or pinions 24 and 24, a full return of the racks to the position in which they are shown in Fig. 2 being secured through the medium of a weight 70, that is carried by a cord 71,.which passes over a sheave 72, to connect with the bar 34:. After the parts have been operated, as above set forth, another picket is introduced and the motion is repeated. In order that the wire may be readily wound upon the spools, I provide a shaft 80, upon which there is secured a gear 81, that engages a pinion 82, carried by a shaft 83, said shaft being arranged to receiy'e one of the spools 2G or 26, as shown in Fig. 1, the end of the shaft 80 being adapted to receive the same crank that is employed in connection with the crank-shaft 20. In certain instances the shaft 80 might be utilized for the purpose of carrying the spools, as represented in Fig. 1, or a single spool might be carried by the frames 25, and spools might be carried by the shaft 80. As the fence is carried forward between the rollers 44 and 37, said rollers-will act to force the wire into the body of the pickets and to set the twist, and as the arms 40, which constitute the movable jaws, are yieldingly mounted there is no fear of breakage. As represented in Fig. 2, the rear journals of the frames 25 are made hollow, this arrangement being adopted in order that wire maybe led in from the spools carried by the shaft 80, if desired. After the desired length of fence has been completed the reel 60 is removed, and the reel proper is given a twist in the opposite direction to that imparted to it when the fence was wound thereon, which will cause the leaves 61 to collapse and permit of the ready withdrawal of the reel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a fence-building machine, the combination, with a series of twisters and a means for revolving the same, of fixed jaws mounted to extend in advance of the twisters, jaws pivotally mounted above the twistershafts, set-screws constituting stops, said screws being arranged in advance of the pivotal supports of the jaws, set-screws arranged to the rear of the pivotal supports, and elastic blocks against which said rear set-screws bear, substantially as described.

2. In a fence-building machine, the combinatiomwith a series of twisters, of intermeshing gears carried by the twisters, a driving or crank shaft, a bevel-gear loosely mounted thereon and arranged to engage a bevel-gear carried by one of the twisters, a ratchet carried by the crank-shaft,a pawl carried by the loosely-mounted bevel-gear, said pawl being arranged to engage the ratchet, a transverse shaft 23, a gear 22, a pinion carried by the crank-shaft and arranged to engage the said gear 22, pinions 24: and 24, carried by the shaft 23, arms 30, upwardly-extending proj ections connected to said arms, and racks 33, also connected to the arms and arranged for engagement with thepinions 24. and 2t, substantially as described.

. JOHN B. KLINE.

Witnesses:

ToM PEERY, IRA B. PACKARD. 

